I've become too much of a hop head

[phenry]

My latest IPA had 7 oz of hops, hit right at 70 IBUs, and still isn't hoppy enough IMHO. Just a few months ago I was completely content at only 4 or 5 oz of the same hops. Looks like it's IIPA territory for me from now on.

And the funny thing is, I haven't had any IPAs for about a month now. I figured I wouldn't be so deaf to bitterness and aroma given my hiatus. Is this happening to anyone else?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

i can never get enough hops. i love big, over the top hoppy IPA's and IIPA's. things that make my friends pucker at one sip are some of my favorite beers. when it comes down to it, i feel the same way about malt flavor. i think the more i brew and learn about beer, the more i love beers with big flavor, be it malt or hops, or even yeast. before i started brewing, i didn't like hefe's or belgians, too many weird yeast flavors for my young palate. i now love them as much as any other beer.
but i feel ya on the hops. hoppy beers were my first love, and i always enjoy beers with insane levels of hops flavor and aroma.

 

[homebrewdad]

My latest IPA had 7 oz of hops, hit right at 70 IBUs, and still isn't hoppy enough IMHO. Just a few months ago I was completely content at only 4 or 5 oz of the same hops. Looks like it's IIPA territory for me from now on.

And the funny thing is, I haven't had any IPAs for about a month now. I figured I wouldn't be so deaf to bitterness and aroma given my hiatus. Is this happening to anyone else?

I guess that I'm still a hop baby. My first loves in beer have been brown ales of various styles; I've tried several IPAs, thinking to myself that they're supposed to be good, if I keep trying them, I'm bound to see the light... right?

Hasn't happened yet. I like a subdued amount of hop flavor, and I don't mind aroma, but ultra-bitter, grapefruit-flavored beer is still beyond my ability to fully appreciate.

Go ahead, call me a noob.

 

[tim2akat2]

I can't help I love the malt flavors but IPA's with the bitterness are sometimes a little too much for me. I do love a some bitterness but most IPA go over the top for me. It is kind of like the sour beers just too much for me. Maybe in a year on more I will change my mind but for now I really want to stick to ales

 

[ChessRockwell]

My latest IPA had 7 oz of hops, hit right at 70 IBUs, and still isn't hoppy enough

My latest was almost the same - 2.5 gallon batch, 3.5oz hops, 70IBU's, and I feel the exact same way. I mean it's good, but I'm like "where are the hops?"
For my next batch I'm going to bitter to 70IBU's with the 60 minute addition, then just throw in as many flavor/aroma additions as I feel like and ignore the additional IBU's I might get from those. Who cares what the software says for IBU numbers, if I can't taste hops and it's not overbittered, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH HOPS!

 

[mrgstiffler]

I guess that I'm still a hop baby. My first loves in beer have been brown ales of various styles; I've tried several IPAs, thinking to myself that they're supposed to be good, if I keep trying them, I'm bound to see the light... right?

Hasn't happened yet. I like a subdued amount of hop flavor, and I don't mind aroma, but ultra-bitter, grapefruit-flavored beer is still beyond my ability to fully appreciate.

Go ahead, call me a noob.

Try getting used to hoppy pale ales first, then transition into less intense IPAs. Eventually you'll start wanting more and more.

 

[bengerman]

Try getting used to hoppy pale ales first, then transition into less intense IPAs. Eventually you'll start wanting more and more.

Or don't and save some money on hops

 

[ChadChaney]

I love the hops too, in all its forms; fresh/wet hop ales, IPA's, IIPA's, and just plain ol' hoppy beers. I find that one of my favorite beers is Lakefront IPA, just a nice, solid, everyday IPA that is crisp, clean and has a balance of hop flavor/aroma and bitterness. I actually prefer this on a regular basis to some "goodies" I have on hand; DFH 90 min, Breckenridge 471 DIPA, Boulevard Double Wide DIPA, etc. For a IIPA, Hopslam is where it is at, awesome bitterness, some alcohol burn, sweetness from the honey and that in your face hoppiness. Another few that rock are Abrasive Ale from Surly, and Sucks form Lagunitas, both have that pungent, dank, resiny in your face hops aroma and taste.
I also love Rogue Yellow Snow IPA and the Brutal, but for different reasons. the Snow has that sharp and dry quality, whereas the brutal has very subtle hop flavor and balance, barely an IPA, but a great example of balance.
Then the fresh/wet hop ales, more of a fresh or hop flavor up front and the bitterness as a balancing agent. I dig these too! SN Celebration, Surly Wet, NB Wet Hop, etc.
I guess my point is, depends the style of hoppiness you are after, IBU's do not equal hop flavor, IMO, you have to balance them with late additions and dry hopping to get that awesome hop quality. I have played around with first wort hopping, continuous hopping, dry hopping and combinations of the techniques. You have to decide what you are looking for and go for that style, just throwing a bunch of hops in will not get you what you need. The malt has a big factor here as well, you need to choose the right hops to pair with your malts. For example; I made a White IPA, basically took a Belgian Wit and modified the hop schedule to increase bitterness slightly and aroma and taste like an IPA. this requires a delicate hand in the hop schedule since you are using lighter and somewhat sweeter malts with some spice. IBU's are only in the range of 55, but the late additions and slight dry hopping with Citra give this brew a killer IPA feel.
I guess my point is this, I also LOVE hops and hoppy beers, just know what you want to achieve and the technique to get there and you can make a great hop-bomb for your specific taste...

Sorry for the long post, currently tasting some IIPA's back to back to back, lol..

 

[mrgstiffler]

I also love Rogue Yellow Snow IPA and the Brutal, but for different reasons. the Snow has that sharp and dry quality, whereas the brutal has very subtle hop flavor and balance, barely an IPA, but a great example of balance.

Yellow Snow is what got me really into IPAs. I'm not even sure that it was the beer itself or the day that I had it. It was my last day of work before a week long vacation over Christmas. I was sent home at noon because there was half a foot of snow. So it was noon and I had a whole week ahead of me. Was sitting at home watching movies while it was a blizzard outside. I had the Yellow Snow and ever since, IPAs have been my favorite style. I think your mood greatly affects how you perceive a beer.

 

[step]

I think of hops like other drugs in that we achieve a certain tolerance to them and that we establish a need for their effects on us. As our tolerance increases we need more and more of those compounds to quench our hop thirst, much like any other drug. To summarize... good luck with your addiction

 

[Krane]

I guess that I'm still a hop baby. My first loves in beer have been brown ales of various styles; I've tried several IPAs, thinking to myself that they're supposed to be good, if I keep trying them, I'm bound to see the light... right?

Hasn't happened yet. I like a subdued amount of hop flavor, and I don't mind aroma, but ultra-bitter, grapefruit-flavored beer is still beyond my ability to fully appreciate.

Go ahead, call me a noob.

I think the majority of people probably felt the same way at one time. I couldn't understand why anybody liked IPAs. Now one of the things I am looking forward to on my honeymoon is getting some PTE for the first time.

 

[Rockape66]

I love big hops flavor, but not a lot of residual bitterness. Big malt balanced by bitterness, with lots of late additions for flavor and aroma. That hits the spot. Hopslam is awesome. I made a mistake on my late hopped APA...Oops IPA!! Delicious! Big white grapefruit up front with great malt backbone. The only flaw is that this is the first ale (besides a hefe') that didn't clarify. It's cloudy like a hefe, but no perceptible particles. Who cares it's delicious!

 

[Homercidal]

I had to get off the hop wagon for a while. I realized I was missing out on some great malty beers and roasty stouts. The nice thing is that I once again appreciate a great hoppy beer more after being away for a bit.

I also like a malty hop beer rather than a harsh bitter one. That's why I like Bell's Two Hearted and Bells Hopslam! Both have a caramel sweeetness backbone to support the hop bitterness. And the Hopslam is a 10% beer that sure doesn't taste like it!

Recently brewed a IIPA and was slightly disappointed that it was too sweet going into the secondary, but it bubbled for several more days so I'm confident that it will drop down into the balanced range and ready for the keg and a second dry hop very soon!

 

[phenry]

My break from IPAs/APAs has been mostly to spend time with stouts and Belgians, which is why I was surprised I was kinda underwhelmed by this most recent IPA in terms of aroma and flavor. Even the bitterness was pretty subdued. It was my first time using Bravo to bitter an IPA, so that may have something to do with it.

Overpitching wouldn't really have much to do with subdued aroma and bitterness, would it? I tend to err on the side of pitching more yeast than necessary with my IPAs since I like them dry.

 

[Devin]

Too much of a hop head is not possible, IMO. The more, the better!

I am just getting into brewing and I am looking forward to trying different known recipes and playing with the hops to get a profile I like. So often I try a beer and think, "wow, this would be great if it had a more intense hop character". Now I get to try.

 

[matt2778]

I too can't get enough of the hops which is unfortunate as the most coveted varieties are somewhat hard to come by and also quite expensive. Find myself almost envious of the malt forward crowd as a batch of malty brew would be so much cheaper to make.

 

[PollardsVision]

I guess that I'm still a hop baby. My first loves in beer have been brown ales of various styles; I've tried several IPAs, thinking to myself that they're supposed to be good, if I keep trying them, I'm bound to see the light... right?

Hasn't happened yet. I like a subdued amount of hop flavor, and I don't mind aroma, but ultra-bitter, grapefruit-flavored beer is still beyond my ability to fully appreciate.

Go ahead, call me a noob.

I feel the same way about big malt flavors. It doesn't take much for a beer to come off way to sweet for me and I'm not a huge fan very much breadiness either.
The only way I like anything resembling strong malt flavors, is if it's completely overshadowed by the hops.

I essentially only drink a couple of beer styles: APA's, IPA's, IIPA's and pilsners (including BMC style light lagers).
I really need to expand my palate.

This has been a brewing problem so far as most of the craft beer drinkers I know prefer their beer on the malty side and aren't fans of big hop bitterness (and for now, those are the only types of beers I feel like taking the time and expense to brew).

 

[homebrewdad]

I feel the same way about big malt flavors. It doesn't take much for a beer to come off way to sweet for me and I'm not a huge fan very much breadiness either.
The only way I like anything resembling strong malt flavors, is if it's completely overshadowed by the hops.

I essentially only drink a couple of beer styles: APA's, IPA's, IIPA's and pilsners (including BMC style light lagers).
I really need to expand my palate.

This has been a brewing problem so far as most of the craft beer drinkers I know prefer their beer on the malty side and aren't fans of big hop bitterness (and for now, those are the only types of beers I feel like taking the time and expense to brew).

See, I don't want a beer that hits me over the head with any aspect. I like balanced brews with interesting characters to them.

 

[davekippen]

Hops definitely have grown on me as I get more and more into good beer. I had Hopslam for the first time this year and absolutely love it. I know it might not be as over-the-top as some IIPA's but I really enjoy it. Even as little as a year ago I dont think I would have liked it. I kept hitting the IPA's, trying new ones and I think my pallet is rounding.

I guess in the end, I just love beer. Malty, Sweet, Hoppy, Fruity, Watery, Yeasty... As my hero Homer Simpson would say, Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm beer

 

[scrambledegg81]

I've been the same way, but my taste for all things mouth-puckering has died down over the last year. Been on more of a IRS & Belgian kick lately. (A lot depends on the time of year as well.)

 

[Calichusetts]

I hear ya...my IPA or I guess IIPAs regularly push into the 90-110 IBU range, and even with a dry hop, I find that I want more...its a curse. But as long as there is a balance its not so bad (I use oversized grain bills to get a more balanced malt flavor) A great example is Lagunitas Hop Stoopid or Firestone Double Jack, they are WAY up there in IBUs (Hop Stoopid is 104 I believe) but its not overpowering or even bitter

 

[SasquatchSmith]

I'm with ya man, I always crave more hops. The more the better, especially with the hop varieties that are heavy on the citrus flavor.